Press Releases

Following a review of 22 private collection agencies, the U.S. Department of Education announced today that it will wind down contracts with five private collection agencies that were providing inaccurate information to borrowers. The five companies are: Coast Professional, Enterprise Recovery Systems, National Recoveries, Pioneer Credit Recovery, and West Asset Management.

The U.S. Department of Education today released model terms of service guidance and a training video aimed at helping schools and districts protect student privacy while using online educational services and applications.

U.S. students are graduating from high school at a higher rate than ever before, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. The nation's high school graduation rate hit 81 percent in 2012-13, the highest level since states adopted a new uniform way of calculating graduation rates five years ago.

The U.S. Treasury Department and the U.S. Department of Education will continue working with tax preparers during the 2015 tax filing season to increase federal student loan borrowers' awareness of income-driven repayment plans.

The U.S. Department of Education announced today that its Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has entered into a resolution agreement to resolve a compliance review of the Yakima School District, Washington. The review examined whether the District has taken appropriate action to address harassment of students on the bases of sex, race, color, national origin, and disability.

“After an economic crisis that forced schools to cut their budgets and hit teachers hard, the last thing we should do right now is cut funding for education. Unfortunately, Chairman Kline’s proposed legislation would allow cuts to school funding. It also fails to give teachers and the schools who need it most the resources they need. And it sends the message that ensuring a quality education for every child isn’t a national responsibility.

Zenith Education Group, a newly created nonprofit provider of career school training, announced earlier today that it had finalized its acquisition of more than 50 Everest and WyoTech campuses from Corinthian Colleges Inc., a transaction that was first announced in November.

The Obama Administration released a fiscal year 2016 budget today that includes key investments to expand high-quality early learning programs; increase equity and opportunity for all students; support teachers a